The Comprehensive Plan & Land Development Regulations: Putting Words Into Action
Strategies for improving how your planning and regulatory documents work together.
Zoning & Land Use Regulations
“Zoning is merely a tool. It can be used constructively as a positive force for community good or it can be misused.” — Edward McMahon, from “What's So Bad About Zoning?”
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Civic Responsibility
Should we focus more on responsible citizenry and less on complex codes? Some thoughts from PCJ columnist Ric Stephens.
Drafting Clear Ordinances: Do’s and Don’ts
One of a planner’s most important jobs is drafting clear and understandable ordinances. It’s also a task on which planning commissioners can offer valuable assistance.
Take a Density Quiz
Dan Zack, the Downtown Coordinator for Redwood City, California, has put together a quite interesting photo quiz on the density of various residential buildings. It’s the type of quiz you might want to put together your own city or region.
Zoning for Religious Institutions
The impact of zoning regulations on religious institutions is a complex and evolving area of law. A primer on key issues citizen and professional planners should be familiar with.
Downtown Housing -Minus Parking +Plus Commercial
The residents and business owners of Saratoga Springs, New York, treasure their downtown. Two planning priorities: increase the amount of housing downtown and ensure retail on the ground floor of buildings.
L is for Land Subdivision
Land ownership and subdivision in America has long been subject to detailed legal requirements and procedures. A look at some of the most significant changes over the past two centuries.
X is for X-Rated Land Uses
Early American land use controls often focused on what might be considered the “X-rated” land uses of their day: fat trying plants, tar boiling facilities, dead animal disposal lots, industrial production facilities. and so on. The use of zoning to deal with them had broad consequences to this day.
Z is for Zoning
Planning historian Laurence Gerckens provides an overview of the origins of zoning in America.
McMansions & the Geometry of Zoning
An overview of some of the regulatory approaches to dealing with McMansions, including a look at the design review process implemented in Stonington, Connecticut.
A Question of Balance
Planner and Planning Commissioners Journal columnist Greg Dale explores the question of how to balance community needs and individual property rights.
Child Care in Our Communities
Sixty percent of working families with children under age five now pay for licensed child care. A look at how communities are responding to the challenge of providing for child care facilities.
Overlay Zoning to Protect Surface Waters
Regulating land use practices near streams can significantly reduce the run-off of sediment and other pollutants. How a system of “overlay zones” can help protect stream corridors, lakeshores, and watersheds.
